No Cheer Here
by luvsanime02
Summary: Duo wants to be home right now, not stuck here at an office party.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Wing, and am making no money off of this fic.

 **AN:** Written for the December 28th Cocktail Party prompt found here: gwcocktailfriday . tumblr .com(/)post/181321035665/cocktail-friday-post-responses-on-friday-december. (Without the spaces and parentheses.)

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 **No Cheer Here** by luvsanime02

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Duo's not too sure about cinnamon sticks in a drink with pineapple. Or cranberries, either, for that matter. But he has to admit that it does look festive. He's also wondering if anyone would notice if he grabbed one of the cookies placed on the table around the drinks. Or maybe the star anises floating in the drinks themselves. He's not picky, even though he hates anise flavor normally. It's the first food he's seen since the start of the party, and Duo's starving.

He hasn't left his office all day, and had no time to go anywhere else before coming back to the office party, unless he'd wanted to be even later than he was. Duo hasn't slept well in weeks, either. The project that he's working on has been through thirteen revisions in the last ten days because people keep on changing their minds, and honestly, Duo's about ready to collapse at this point.

Duo doesn't want to be here right now. Not really. Not even a little bit. He wants to be home, in his bed. Hell, at this point, he'd take lying down on his lumpy couch. He wants to curl up under his blankets with some pajamas on, and then he wants to sleep for the entire next year.

Instead, he's stuck here because this party is technically mandatory, in that 'I'm not ordering you, but you'll be penalized if you don't show up' kind of bullshit way that Duo hates. Everyone hates. Yet, here they all are, anyway. Here's Duo, in the same suit that he's worn all day and won't be able to get out of for hours still, and with no food in sight, though plenty of alcohol, which would be nice except Duo _drove_ to work this morning.

Someone laughs next to him, and Duo flinches, and he _hates_ this. He hates the loud noises, the people already drunk everywhere he turns, and is there any possible way that he could just not exist for the next few hours? Just that little bit, promise, and then Duo will go back to being a semi-functional human being.

No such luck. Duo's pulled into conversation after conversation, and the only good thing about this is that no one's actually paying attention to what everyone else is saying, so as long as Duo's in a group, he can stand there and shake or nod his head, and he's participating.

He still feels dead on his feet. When _is_ the last time that Duo ate? Crap, he can't remember. He… didn't eat today, and this is the first time that he's stopped working since he woke up, and suddenly the lights are too bright and Duo needs to get out of there right this second.

Duo elbows his way through the press of people, not caring at all that he's being rude, and finally manages to escape to the bathroom, where he bends over the sink and just _breathes_ for a few minutes. No one else is in there, and Duo's alone, and he can feel a pounding in his head now that he thought was only the music before.

Terrific.

Duo drinks some water right from the sink and doesn't care that it tastes disgusting, and then he splashes some on his face and contemplates going back to the office party.

He can't. No matter how much Duo tells himself to just get back in there and smile and nod, he really can't. The dizziness has receded but he's nauseous now, and still so tired, and Duo can't do it. He fumbles at his pocket and pulls out his phone to check the time, and he's only been at the party for half an hour. Is that long enough to count? Duo doesn't know, and he doesn't care. He's done.

The elevator ding has never been so welcome, and Duo spends the ride down with his forehead pressed against the wall, his eyes closed.

When he gets to the lobby, though, Duo stops short and stares. Heero Yuy, one of his coworkers who Duo last saw up at the party, looking annoyed at everyone and everything, is now standing just inside of the doors. When he hears the elevator open, Heero looks over, sees him, and nods.

"Ready to go?" he asks.

Duo blinks in confusion and looks behind himself, but no, he's the only one there. Duo raises an eyebrow. "What?" he asks.

Usually, Duo would say something clever. Witty. Charming, even. He has no energy left for any of that.

Heero holds out his hand, which doesn't help Duo's confusion. "Give me your keys," he demands. "You're not driving tonight."

Duo shakes his head. "I'm not drunk," he says, not bothering to get upset. Any other time, at an office party, Duo wouldn't be sober. He's not offended at the assumption.

Heero's hand is still extended, waiting. "Did you know that someone very tired has the reflexes of a drunk person? Give me the keys. I can call a cab at your place."

Duo's really too tired to argue, and he's pretty sure that there's no changing Heero's mind once he decides something, anyway. "Thanks," Duo says. He's surprised, but very grateful, that Heero's going out of his way for Duo like this.

Heero takes the keys from him, and then they exit the building. "It's an excuse to leave the party," Heero explains, and Duo laughs tiredly. That makes sense, yes. "I told everyone you have a stomach bug."

As far as excuses go, that one's not so bad, and Duo walks a little closer to Heero and bumps the other man's shoulder gently with his own. "Thanks," he says again, quietly.

Usually, Duo would be pretending that he's fine. Usually, Heero would have a cutting, though honest, remark to offer about someone letting themselves burn out this much. Tonight, though, the silence between them is companionable as they walk to Duo's car together.


End file.
